Luis Enrique wanted to give Spanish fans a ‘show’ at Qatar 2022 – but in the end his side were sent home with accusations of being ‘boring’ ringing in their ears.
Despite dominating possession in their second-round match against Morocco on Tuesday, Spain were knocked out of the World Cup on penalties as the African side booked a historic quarter-final against Portugal.
It’s now 10 years since Spain won their last major trophy, when they won back-to-back Euros and a World Cup in four years, and they haven’t gone past the last 16 since winning the World Cup in 2010.
Spanish football expert Guillem Balague says Spain are ‘miles away’ from competing with top nations, but is this the end for manager Luis Enrique and his ‘exceeding experience’?
“I would choose these penalty takers again”
The statistics are remarkable.
Spain had 77 per cent possession and completed 1,019 passes – 926 were accurate – compared to Morocco’s 304.
They did, however, end the game with just six shots and one shot on target as, time and time again, their patient passing approach was brilliantly rebuffed by a well-organized Morocco.
The pattern of the match was almost inevitable for a Spanish side who rarely play a central striker – bringing only Alvaro Morata as a focal point – and who completed 1,058 assists in their loss to Japan in the group stage.
Their only shot on target is the lowest they have managed in the World Cup since this data is available (1966), as they become the first nation to lose four shots on goal in the World Cup and the second team to do not score in one.
These penalty woes are even more miserable when you consider that Luis Enrique said his side had taken 1,000 penalties in training.
“I picked the takers, I thought they were the best on the pitch,” Enrique said.
“[If I could change something] I will take [Morocco keeper Yassine] Bounou walks away and places another guard there. [Penalties] are not a lottery for me. You have to control yourself.
“What we did was dominate the game but we were missing the goal, that’s the reality, that’s the truth.”
“If it were up to me, I would stay all my life”
Former Spain midfielder Luis Enrique, 52, is out of contract this summer after being named boss in 2018.
He stepped away for a short time in 2019 because his late daughter was diagnosed with bone cancer, before returning and guiding Spain to the semi-finals of Euro 2020, where they lost to Italy on penalties.
He said: “Next week we will talk and discuss my future, now is not the right time – I am the one responsible.
“If it was up to me, I would stay all my life, but that’s not the case. I have to think calmly about what is best for me and for the national team. All situations will have an influence .”
Spain were applauded for their style and established themselves as the world’s leading nation under Luis Aragones and Vicente del Bosque in their era of dominance between 2008 and 2012.
And Luis Enrique has stuck to the same possession-based approach throughout his time with the national team, despite consistent failures at major tournaments.
Ballague said: “Spain just weren’t good enough. Morocco had a better game plan projection than us. We had a game plan but we couldn’t affect the game and we didn’t have not changed or looked for alternatives, because we do not have them.
“In the country, there were not many expectations. Now the failure here is celebrated in Spain – because there will be 100,000 Moroccans celebrating in Spain.
“Now that allows us to debate what’s next. Luis Enrique is out of contract this summer and should we stay with Enrique who, stubborn as he is, will stick to his idea, or are we looking for something new?”
The Spanish boss has defended his approach throughout the tournament, saying ‘football is a spectacle and not for boring people’.
But, after losing to Japan and Morocco now in Qatar, did he get the wrong approach?
“When you see the best of Spain, that’s when the other team wants the ball and you can find space,” Ballague said. “The teams that can win the World Cup right now, France, England, Brazil, have a lot more than us.
“We didn’t shoot from outside the box, we didn’t cross, we’re not physical, we’re not very fast. We don’t play long because we don’t have someone who can hold the ball, we’re not very good at set pieces. You need to have more.
‘Terrible’ and ‘catastrophic’ – how Spain reacted
The Spanish media did not spare the national team, describing Spain’s loss to Morocco on penalties as “terrible” and “catastrophic”.
Spanish newspapers like El Pais and La Vanguardia immediately ran headlines like “For Spain possession was not enough” and “Spain won’t go on.”
Spain’s “great fiasco” ended in “a series of destructive penalties”, added El Mundo in a separate report, before concluding that Spain “have a good team, but who, without success, not worth much”.
‘Please Luis, why are you bothering us?’ – What you said
Dan: Does Spain realize it’s not World Cup possession? They have to chase players and take risks to make space and create chances. It’s so dull!
Andy: I just turned on the game against Spain 5 minutes ago and I’m already almost asleep. Is it me or are they so boring to watch?
Grey: The rain in Spain mostly falls on the… training ground where they make thousands of passes but usually avoid putting the ball in the net.
Harry: Didn’t Luis Enrique say that football is a spectacle and a spectacle? “We play for them – so why bother them?” Please tell us Luis, why are you bothering us?
Andy: I just fell asleep for 30 minutes and when I woke up Spain was doing exactly the same as before. I think I’m going to go back to sleep.
